{"id":37932,"date":"2025-11-06T11:05:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T11:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/37932\/"},"modified":"2025-11-06T11:05:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T11:05:11","slug":"national-medal-of-honor-museum-looks-to-future-after-7-months-of-open-doors-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/37932\/","title":{"rendered":"National Medal of Honor Museum looks to future after 7 months of open doors | News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/p>\n

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The National Medal of Honor Museum sits on Oct. 30 in Arlington. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.<\/p>\n

Photo by Joel Solis<\/a><\/p>\n

For four years, Chris Cassidy\u2019s life revolved around getting Arlington\u2019s National Medal of Honor Museum up and running.<\/p>\n

A little over seven months ago, the museum\u2019s president and CEO met his mark as the multi-million-dollar building opened its doors to the public, honoring the thousands who have received a Medal of Honor \u2014 the nation\u2019s most prestigious military award.<\/p>\n

The opening celebration was grand. It had a former president in attendance, a state-of-the-art drone show and thousands of residents watching. But for Cassidy, it still wasn\u2019t the \u201cperfect day.\u201d That day came a few weeks back in October.<\/p>\n

He saw school buses pulling into the building, retirement homes bringing attendees a bank hosting its corporate event in the museum\u2019s halls, all while active-duty military personnel entered the building.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, that exemplified what this means to the community, because it touches young, old, civilians, military \u2014 everybody,\u201d Cassidy said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

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A full-scale replica of U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady\u2019s Bell UH-1H Iroquois helicopter is displayed Oct. 30 at the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington. The exhibit, From Rails to Rotors, talks about the helicopter and the role machines play in Medal of Honor actions.<\/p>\n

Photo by Joel Solis<\/a><\/p>\n

Tucked inside the Entertainment District between Choctaw Stadium and the Arlington Museum of Art, the Medal of Honor museum opened in March. Five pillars suspend the 100,000-plus-square-foot landmark, each representing a branch of the U.S. military. Inside, the facility contains exhibits, artifacts, videos and simulations pertaining to Medal of Honor recipients, as well as the Griffin Institute, the museum\u2019s course-based leadership academy.<\/p>\n

With the museum up and running, Cassidy, a former Navy SEAL and astronaut, announced in October that he will step down from his position later this year. The change in leadership represents a shift in the museum\u2019s plans and goals, Cassidy said in an interview with The Shorthorn.<\/p>\n

The first year of the museum is experimental, with a focus on testing different offerings and learning what works, he said. Under a new president, the museum will enter its operational phase, looking to deliver \u201cexciting programs\u201d while striking a balance in its offerings. The goal is to find the right niche to weave the museum into Arlington\u2019s calendar of activities, Cassidy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is with bittersweet feelings that I\u2019m moving on. I\u2019ve come to really love the mission, love the people that are associated with it. I love all the colleagues in the Arlington community,\u201d Cassidy said. \u201cBut I\u2019m excited to hand the reins over to whoever is going to take this mission in the next phase.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"National<\/p>\n

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Courtesy of the National Medal of Honor Museum<\/p>\n

An executive search firm is working to find Cassidy\u2019s replacement, but there is no specific time frame for when a candidate will be chosen or when Cassidy will step down.<\/p>\n

Following an initial surge from the grand opening, the museum\u2019s attendance has been lower than anticipated. A dip after opening is a common thing museums experience, Cassidy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re taking that information and trying to figure out, \u2018Where should we change our marketing? How do we get the word out?\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

There haven\u2019t been any issues with those who visit the museum, only getting them there.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

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The Medal of Honor Experience plays Oct. 30 at the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington. The panoramic video displays the names of recipients of the Medal of Honor.<\/p>\n

Photo by Joel Solis<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody has a moving, positive experience, and they go home and tell their friends. So it\u2019s only a matter of time before visitorship picks up and awareness that we\u2019re open spreads across the nation,\u201d Cassidy said.<\/p>\n

In fiscal year 2023, Texas recorded more than 1.5 million veteran residents \u2014 the largest veteran population in the country, according to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs data. That population and Arlington\u2019s military roots are part of why having the museum in the city means so much to the community. The atmosphere inside reflects that.<\/p>\n

The museum is quiet \u2014 structurally hollow but with an air heavy with emotion. On the bottom floor, the Ring of Valor, a golden loop outlining the roof, inscribes the names of Medal of Honor recipients. On the top floor, signage around spherical rooms details the lives of recipients. The stories told aren\u2019t just about combat. Memorabilia from the daily lives and hobbies of recipients are displayed proudly in glass cases.<\/p>\n

\"Attendees<\/p>\n

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Attendees stand in front of a screen Oct. 30 at the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington. Screens displayed the atmosphere of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.<\/p>\n

Photo by Joel Solis<\/a><\/p>\n

Attendees inside are mostly silent as they take it in. Some salute photos of soldiers plastered along the walls, wiping tears from their eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cA kid can come in here and see something that they understand, or an older person, a younger person, it doesn\u2019t matter. Everybody can find something that they resonate with,\u201d museum staff member Ashley Conger said.<\/p>\n

Grapevine, Texas, resident Teresa Korta, 66, whose father was in the military, was moved by the museum\u2019s exhibits.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s passed now,\u201d Korta said, eyes welling up.<\/p>\n

She said it\u2019s important to remember the men and women honored in the museum and what they gave to the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re all just everyday people that gave a lot,\u201d said Grapevine resident Robert Korta, 66, who accompanied Teresa Korta.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Various artifacts sit on display Oct. 30 at the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington. The exhibits take guests on a journey of discovery through the \u201cordinary\u201d lives and extraordinary actions of Medal of Honor recipients.<\/p>\n

Photo by Joel Solis<\/a><\/p>\n

Robert Korta said one moment that stuck with him was learning about a single soldier who held off scores of enemies on a canal, which allowed the U.S. military a path to reach Japan.<\/p>\n

Some museum visitors have no ties to the military at all. Craig Riley, a structural engineer from Indianapolis, 55, visited to see how the building was made, calling it an \u201carchitectural landmark.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley said the stories told in the museum are about not just survival but the grief that comes with losing friends and comrades.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s solemn, it\u2019s very humbling,\u201d he said. \u201cIt puts things in perspective, and it shows what people can do when they give themselves to a larger purpose than themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

@PMalkomes<\/p>\n

news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The National Medal of Honor Museum sits on Oct. 30 in Arlington. The museum is open from 10…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37933,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[150,152,151,992,223],"class_list":{"0":"post-37932","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arlington","8":"tag-arlington","9":"tag-arlington-headlines","10":"tag-arlington-news","11":"tag-city","12":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37932"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37932\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}